Announcing Podcamp Boston 3

Blogger, social media guru and all-around nice guy Chris Brogan joined the program this morning, in part to discuss the upcoming Podcamp Boston 3 but also to share some thoughts on some of the other stories coming out of the social media space this week. He joins CustomScoop CEO Chip Griffin and VP Jennifer Zingsheim on the show this week.

First up for discussion: Podcamp Boston 3. This year is going to be a slightly different event than last year. They are hoping to cap registrants at 400 people, almost three times less than last year. The reason? Last year there were also close to 700 no-shows, which proved a drain on the resources of the sponsors. This year the event is asking for a small sponsorship fee of $50 from each participant, which will increase the level of discourse and, Chris hopes, the quality of the event overall. Each of the panelists agree that this development will only help rather than hurt the popular event, despite what some naysayers might be claiming.

Next up: The YouTube Divorce Rant. This is a slightly oddball topic for our normally highbrow show (kidding), but I couldn’t resist it. It seems that more and more, people are using the tools of social media for selfish or self-serving reasons that do nothing to contribute to the community. Chip looks at it as an issue of personal brand responsibility, noting that we all have to be aware what we put out there and how it will affect us in the long run. Chris notes that the video will do nothing to help the woman’s divorce, as the fact that emotions are involved does nothing to change the fact of divorce as a business transaction (I jokingly wonder if this is an example of social media being unable to move the needle in a business endeavor).

Finally, Jen noticed this article on Slashdot this week. FaceBoogle, or social searching, is the wave of the future according to Glenn Derene. With an interview with a VP at Google and a venture capitalist friend, Glenn argues that search will soon be “push” rather than pull. Chip again points out that it is often a result of what we put out there online, noting that while privacy activists may have a problem with it, it’s really all about what the user chooses. Jen compares privacy complainants to those complaining about violence on TV: “If you don’t like it, you can shut it off.”